Er vallen zoveel Russische doden in de oorlog met Oekraïne dat Poetin soldaten tekort komt. Daarom wordt hij steeds creatiever in het ronselen van mensen voor de frontlinie.

WASHINGTON (ANP) - Amerikaanse marine-eenheden hebben sinds het begin van de blokkade van de Straat van Hormuz acht olietankers onderschept die Iraanse havens binnenvoeren of verlieten. Dat meldt The Wall Street Journal op basis van Amerikaanse functionarissen.

In alle gevallen namen de Amerikaanse strijdkrachten via radioverbinding contact op met de bemanning en gaven hun opdracht om van koers te wijzigen, aldus de bronnen. Alle tankers gaven gehoor aan deze opdracht en enteren was niet noodzakelijk, aldus de functionarissen.

Eerder in de nacht van dinsdag op woensdag meldde persbureau Reuters op basis van gegevens van de scheepvaartmonitor Kpler dat de door de Verenigde Staten gesanctioneerde tanker Rich Starry, eigendom van een Chinese rederij, niet voorbij de Amerikaanse blokkade was geraakt.

Het Amerikaanse leger verklaarde dinsdagavond (lokale tijd) dat Amerikaanse strijdkrachten de economische handel van en naar Iran over zee volledig hebben stilgelegd met de blokkade.

OTTAWA (ANP) - In een gezamenlijke verklaring hebben Canada, Groot-Brittannië, Japan en zeven andere landen opgeroepen tot een "onmiddellijk einde aan de vijandelijkheden in Libanon". De landen maken zich "ernstige zorgen over de verslechterende humanitaire situatie en de crisis rond ontheemding in Libanon", aldus de verklaring die door Canada werd verspreid.

Bovenal moeten burgers en civiele infrastructuur worden beschermd tegen de gevolgen van de vijandelijkheden.

De landen verwelkomden het staakt-het-vuren van twee weken dat onlangs werd overeengekomen tussen de Verenigde Staten, Israël en Iran. Zij benadrukten dat nu ook in Libanon een einde moet komen aan de gevechten.

De oproep volgt op een eerste ontmoeting tussen Israëlische en Libanese vertegenwoordigers in Washington, die moet leiden tot directe onderhandelingen tussen de strijdende partijen.

Israël zegt aanvallen in Libanon uit te voeren om Hezbollah te ontwapenen. De Libanese beweging is een bondgenoot van Iran en reageerde op Amerikaans-Israëlische aanvallen op Iran door begin maart Israël aan te vallen.

Passengers can book a four-hour session in the bunk beds from May for Auckland-New York flights but airline cautions against smuggling in children

Economy passengers on Air New Zealand’s ultra-long-haul flight between Auckland and New York can book a spot in the airline’s bunk-bed style sleeping pods from May, which will take to skies in late 2026.

In what the airline says is a world first, six full-length, lie-flat sleeping pods, are squeezed into the aisle of the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The pods, known as “Skynest”, will include fresh bedding, a privacy curtain, ambient lighting and kit with eye-masks, skincare, earplugs and socks.

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Ousted Viktor Orbán had previously blocked releasing funds; Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Iran war means US ‘has no time for Ukraine’. What we know on day 1,512

The change in Hungary’s government could help unlock €90bn for Ukraine and give a “new push” for it to join the European Union, the bloc’s expansion chief said Tuesday. Marta Kos, speaking on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank spring meetings, described the Hungarian election on Sunday – which saw long-ruling nationalist prime minister Viktor Orbán defeated – as a “big win for Europe.” “I expect, personally, that this will have a positive effect on the accession process,” Kos said. She also said it would help unlock a major loan needed to prop up Ukraine’s budget. Orban had an effective veto on the funds, angering other EU leaders. He had tied the veto to a dispute with Ukraine over a damaged pipeline carrying Russian oil.

Britain will announce extra support for Ukraine worth millions of pounds on Wednesday as senior ministers hold a series of meetings with their international counterparts. In Washington DC, chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to confirm a £752m payment to Kyiv ahead of a meeting with Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko. The payment, part of a £3.36bn loan, is intended to help pay for weaponry including long-range missiles, air defence systems and drones.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday told a German broadcaster that US peace negotiators “have no time for Ukraine” because of the war in Iran, and bemoaned disruption to deliveries of US arms. Zelenskyy told public broadcaster ZDF that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who have helped broker talks with Moscow on ending Russia’s war on Ukraine, were “constantly in talks with Iran” at the moment. Describing the pair as “pragmatic”, Zelenskyy said they were trying to “get more attention from Putin in order to end the war”. But “if the United States does not put pressure on Putin (...) and only engages in a gentle dialogue with the Russians, then they will no longer be afraid”, he said.

Norway and Ukraine will strengthen their bilateral defence cooperation, including by producing Ukrainian drones in the Nordic country, the Norwegian government said on Tuesday. Under the agreement, Norway will support the production of drones in Ukraine, while the latter will share data, information and knowledge with Norway, Oslo said in a statement. Ukrainian drones will also be produced on Norwegian territory, it said. “We can learn from the experiences that Ukraine is making in this hard-won fight against the Russian aggression,” prime minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told a joint press conference with Zelenskyy. “It is crucial that we learn from these experiences,” he said.

US officials announced on Tuesday an extension of sanctions relief on Russian oil company Lukoil for fuel stations outside Russia as the Trump administration seeks to mitigate spikes in crude prices. The action by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) means Lukoil-branded stations in countries like the United States can continue to serve customers through 29 October. The measure allows the gasoline stations to conduct transactions “in the ordinary course of business” such as procuring motor supplies, making insurance payments and processing employee payroll, OFAC said.

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Lisa O’Carroll reports on the ‘resetting’ of the relationship between the UK and the EU

This week, the Guardian reported that Labour is planning to bring in new legislation that will forge closer ties between the UK and the EU. Nearly 10 years on from the Brexit vote, the Guardian’s senior correspondent Lisa O’Carroll speaks to Helen Pidd about what a UK-EU reset would look like.

Lisa and Helen also discuss the strength of the EU in the wake of Viktor Orbán’s defeat in the Hungary elections on Sunday.

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How DNA forensics is transforming studies of ancient manuscripts. Scientists are exposing the biological information hidden in ancient parchments without leaving a mark.

iain.davidson100 has added a photo to the pool: